1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an installation for distributing a stock of gas cylinders.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of bottled industrial gases is very common throughout industry. A consumer enterprise generally has a central depot to which the supplier delivers the gas cylinders as ordered. The cylinders are distributed from this central depot to the different departments of the enterprise for delivery by the personnel to their point of use. These are referred to as xe2x80x9cflyingxe2x80x9d cylinders to distinguish them from xe2x80x9cmanifold-connectedxe2x80x9d cylinders which are delivered and connected by the supplier to their points of use.
As far as flying cylinders are concerned, their use within an enterprise raises a number of problems, in particular because the number of full cylinders available is not monitored. A user can therefore remove the last full gas cylinders of a certain type without ordering new ones, whether through negligence or forgetfulness.
Moreover, it sometimes happens that several users will independently put in orders for cylinders of the same type, and this may lead to overstocking, which takes up space in the depot.
In order to remedy these drawbacks, some installations are provided with a set of sensors which are arranged close to each cylinder support and can detect the presence or absence of the cylinders. This technique allows an accurate value of the cylinder stock to be obtained in real time. It does, however, have a number of disadvantages, especially because it makes it necessary to provide one sensor per cylinder and, consequently, to equip the installation with a cabling network whose complexity increases with the storage capacity, and with a relative complex unit for processing the signals delivered by the sensors, which make the installation relatively expensive.
The object of the invention is to remedy this drawback.
It therefore relates to an installation for the distribution of a stock of gas cylinders, comprising a storage space for the gas cylinders which is equipped with means for evaluating the stock of cylinders with a view to restocking the installation, characterized in that the stock-evaluation means include means for image capturing the storage space which are connected to synchronization means for periodic image capturing of the storage space and a central processing unit which compares the pictures successively delivered by the image capturing means.
An accurate value of the stock of cylinders is thus provided, irrespective of the capacity of the storage space.
The distribution installation may furthermore have one or more of the following characteristics, taken individually or in any technically feasible combination:
the central processing unit furthermore includes means for comparing the stock of cylinders which is evaluated by the stock-evaluation means with a predetermined threshold value, below which the storage space needs to be restocked;
it furthermore includes an identification-badge reader which is arranged close to a door for access to the storage space and is connected to the image capturing means, with a view to taking at least one picture of the storage space if it is penetrated by an unauthorized individual;
it includes a reference marker which faces the image capturing means and in front of which the gas cylinders are placed;
it includes means for illuminating the stock of cylinders;
the means for evaluating the stock of cylinders include image-processing means comprising spectral-analysis means which are connected to the image capturing means and are interfaced with shape-recognition means for identifying the gas cylinders;
the stock-evaluation means include, associated with the image-processing means, means for storing a set of data words which each correspond to one gas cylinder and contain at least one bit whose value indicates the presence or absence of the cylinder;
it includes alarm means which are connected to the stock-evaluation means with a view to emitting an alarm signal if an individual or an object is detected in front of the image capturing means for a period of time longer than a predetermined threshold value.